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Last Updated 9 June 2006
***Note there are a lot of links in this article, I hope to keep them
updated**
When planning to hike the Appalachian Trail, the average hiker starts
putting together a kit by going to the local outfitters, looking at the
Internet, or picking up a catalog and then builds a shopping list. After
a few minutes of doing this however, the sticker shock for gear can set
in and even put the unwary shopper in the hospital if they are not
careful. The fact is the latest high tech gear can be VERY expensive,
and even the little things that you may need backpacking can add up if
you try and buy everything new. Add to that the fact that there is
sometimes a belief (or maybe just an urge) that you need to start out on
an adventure by completely outfitting yourself from the ground up (or
rather from the boots up) in all new gear and clothing in order to have
the “hiker” look and feel in all areas. If you are independently wealthy
or have nothing better to do with your money stop reading now and go
ahead and go to the nearest outfitter and let them load you up. But if
you are looking to save some money for better things, then read on…
To start off with, I will let you in on a few hiker secrets:
1. Your gear doesn’t get you to Katahdin.
Of course if you aren’t going to Katahdin, the same rule still applies
for wherever you are going. Your motivation and determination get you
there. Don’t sweat the gear as much as those two things. Saving some
money from gear to have money for good food and hostels might just help
your attitude and improve your chance of success.
2. Your gear doesn’t have to be “The Best”.
Often hikers will come to the forum and ask what “The Best” rain-gear,
or stove, or tent, or sleeping bag, or backpack, or whatever. Earl
Schaeffer made it with and old wool blanket to sleep in and a cut up
surplus Army pack for his rucksack. Look at Grandma Gatewood who hiked
in Keds sneakers with a canvas duffel bag for a pack and a shower
curtain for a shelter. If they could make it without Gore-Tex, so can
you.
3. Your gear doesn’t have to be new.
There are thru-hikers with multiple trips still using the same stuff
they used on their first thru-hike. That is a lot of miles on some of
that gear and it is still going strong, so the used gear you may already
have or can get in a garage sell (with a lot less miles) can make it
too.
4. You gear doesn’t even have to be store bought.
Flyin’ Brian hiked all three long trails in one season with homemade
gear. Ray Jardine makes almost all of his gear himself. Just make it
well and take good care of it.
5. Your gear can even be recycled trash.
Model T has done three thru-hikes with a stove made from soda cans. Many
hikers re-use old soda bottles for their drink containers. If that kind
of gear ever wears out or breaks, you can just make another for free. No
sense in paying for something you were just going to throw away anyway.
6. Cost is no way to evaluate the value of a piece of equipment.
You can spend $300 on a jacket just to have it not work the way you want
or you can spend $15 on a jacket and be perfectly happy with it. The
$150 stove is often no better than the $50 stove, you often pay for name
brands in backpacking gear. A $5 pot at Wal-Mart can hold food just as
good as a $50 pot at REI.
So now you know the secrets about gear no outfitter will tell you. Armed
with that knowledge, you can now start looking for what you need to
carry. To get an idea of a base packing list, check out this series of
articles: Creating
your packing list.
After you develop a base list of what you think you might need, look
around at your house to see what you can use that you already have for
those items you need. After you do that, you can start “Dirt Bagging”
it! Dirt Bagging is a term I picked up from a hiker named Nigel who used
this term to define the use of re-cycled gear like soda cans for stoves
and soda bottles for fuel or water; or using cheap gear like plastic
sheets for tarps and grease savers for cooking pots. Dirt Bagging can
actually be fun when you see what you can get away with. After dirt
bagging, see if you can make anything you need using normal items
generally found around the house. Finally, after doing all that, then go
check out some discount retail outlets to see what you can find to make
up shortages or “move up” from your dirt bag gear to something a little
more professional.
Step 1
- Starting with your home and what you already have that you may not
have considered. Let’s look around your house before going to the
outfitters and see what you already have. You may find things you can
use for backpacking before even spending a dime. Here are some ideas:
Closet
Chances are you probably already have some clothing you can use to hike
with. Hiker clothing from the outfitters can sometimes be more of a
“hiker fashion statement” than an actual improvement in clothing design
to help make hiking more comfortable. Things to look for in hiking
clothing: weight, material, and function. Weigh is always a concern, so
look for the lightest you can get away with that still works. Materials
are important because most of your normal clothing is probably made from
cotton which is a bad choice for hiking clothing on the Appalachian
Trail since it is normally very wet; you want nylon or wool since they
don’t hold water like cotton fibers. And finally function; each piece
must do a specific job and compliment the other pieces. If you
understand all that, you can start to look at clothing in relationship
to its function and see what you have that might make it.
Footwear. Most people own some sneakers and they can work for you if you
keep your pack weight reasonable. Running shoes are designed to take
abusive miles from runners everyday. If you already own a pair of broken
in running shoes, then you already have some shoes for hiking. One thing
to be aware of are these new air cushion sole shoes which could pop and
loose air or even get filled with water - they probably shouldn't be
your first choice for hiking shoes.
Socks. Life is too short for cotton socks, so leave them at home or be
miserable. But if you have some nylon socks like nylon dress socks, then
you have something to use. Those fancy “sock liners” that some places
carry for a layering system: they are basically the same dang thing. For
warmer winter socks you may have some wool winter socks that are just as
good as many of the special hiking socks. If you have some fleece house
socks you could use those as your camp socks for cold weather.
Shorts. Most folks want to hike in shorts for obvious reasons. If you
have some nylon swimming trunks already, then you have the same thing
that most hikers wear anyway. For longer pants, see if you have some
nylon sweat pants. Avoid blue jeans since they are made from cotton and
will take forever to dry once they get wet.
Shirt. Most folks have lots of cotton t-shirts, but don’t use those. But
if you have a nylon shirt like a short sleeve button dress shirt, then
you have a usable hiking shirt. The buttons up ones are really good
because you can open up the front in hot weather to get better air flow.
Hat. You probably own at least one ball cap style hat. It seems like a
lot of places of business give those away as advertising so if you don’t
already have one, see if you can get one from a friend who has too many
or a business giving them away.
Long underwear. If you don’t own any, then see if you have a nylon sweat
suit. This can work just as well.
Fleece top. These are now a fashion anyway, so you may already have one.
If not, then see if you have a wool or nylon sweater to so the same
thing. A wool sweater and a good rain jacket or windbreaker is just as
warm as any of the new high tech fleece. Another thing to consider:
apparently some fleece these days is made from cotton - avoid the cotton
type for AT hiking.
Warm hat. A fleece hat isn’t any warmer than one of those nylon or wool
watch caps. If you already have one, then use it.
Warm gloves. You may already own a pair of these too. Just make sure you
avoid cotton.
Rain gear. You probably already have a rain jacket of some sort or even
a cheap poncho in your glove box and may even want to try using an
umbrella on the trail; some folks swear by them.
Bandanna. You may already have one of these somewhere. If not, take one
of your old cotton t-shirts and cut a square out of it to make your own.
Blankets or Quilts. Something made from wool or nylon is good. You may
even have a down comforter with micro-fiber shell like I do. This is one
area though I would probably look at upgrading to a more backpacking
specific piece as soon as you can afford it.
Kitchen
Moving from the closet to the kitchen we can look at what the normal
kitchen may have to meet our needs:
Spoon. Unless you want a plastic spoon, the average tablespoon weighs
about the same as a backpacking one you can buy at the outfitters. If
you want to go plastic, check out some of the chain food stores for good
ideas. Wendy's Frosty spoon has a good reputation. You could also get a
box of the higher end plastic spoons at a grocery store. Avoid cheap,
thin, plastic spoons because they can melt on you.
Fire. You may already have a lighter or some matches. Bring some sort of
fire and some back up. You could even get some canning wax and make your
own waterproof matches.
Cup. Many of us have those plastic mugs with lids for drinking coffee on
your way to work. These work great for drinks on the trail as well.
Pot. Maybe you already have a cheap, light, aluminum one quart pot. I
know I had one in my single days.
Zip lock bags. Small ones like a sandwich bag size are good for small
things and by the end of this you will probably use a few of them. One
gallon and two gallon freezer zip-lock bags are good substitutes for
stuff sacks.
Garbage bags. These can make pack liners and good ones will stand up to
a lot of wear. Trash compactor bags are especially good for this.
Dish-washing soap. You can get a small bottle (about one ounce) and
carry some of this stuff for washing body parts, pots, etc. No need in
buying a special liquid soap – it is basically the same thing anyway.
Roasting Bag. These tough plastic bags are made for roasting turkeys in,
but they are tough, waterproof, and light.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Erro
Have you seen the new line of Ziploc bowls? The lids SCREW on!
They're "disposable" but seem to be strong enough to take a real
beating. Can handle the heat of cooking in a microwave. And best
of all - they're light and CHEAP!
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Bathroom
You don’t need much of a bathroom on the trail, and many of the things
you need you probably already have.
Hand sanitizer. A small bottle (about one ounce) is a good thing to have
on the trail. It is even flammable so you can use it for a back up fire
starter.
Toothbrush and paste. Use what you already have. You may want to cut
down the handle some and switch to travel sized tubes of paste. You can
use a zip lock bag for a toothbrush holder to keep dirt off of it.
Toilet paper. Take a roll and “Field Strip” it. By field stripping it,
you wrap a layer of tape around the outside, and then pull the cardboard
tube from the center. Now the paper will feed from the center and work
out, like a pack of baby wipes (the kind in the round containers). Put
this in one of the small zip locks from the kitchen and smash it flat.
First aid. Take another small zip lock and look for these things: 12
Aspirin/Tylenol/Motrin; 4 band aids; roll of gauze; roll of medical
tape; Neosporin ointment; a small ace bandage. There, now you have a
semi-professional first aid kit.
Floss. Sure you can use it on your teeth, but it also makes an excellent
thread for repairing gear.
Cotton Balls and Vaseline. Take some cotton balls (about 12) and swab
Vaseline all over them, then put them in their own zip-lock to make sure
fire campfire starter.
Junk Drawer
You probably have a drawer full of little odds and ends that you keep
around because you just never know when you might need them. Look in
there for a few things.
Needles and safety pins. If you have a sewing kit, just take a couple of
each and add it to your first aid kit. Take a small piece of cardboard
and push the pointy ends into it to prevent them from poking holes in
stuff or getting lost. Keep it with the fist aid kit.
Super glue. Another great idea for all around gear repair. Keep this
with your first aid kit too.
Pocket Knife. Another thing you may already have. It doesn’t have to be
big or fancy.
Garage
I say look in the garage for this stuff because a lot of times this
stuff ends up out there. For you it may be in the attic or in the
storage room.
Backpack. You may have an old book bag somewhere. True, it may be too
small, but then again it might actually be big enough if you pack it
right. In any case, this may give you an idea of how big a pack you
really need before you go out and get the monster 5,500 c.i. pack. You
may even have an old frame backpack or some other old piece of gear that
will work.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Alligator
When an old pack or other item outlives it's usefulness,
cannibalize the parts and save them.
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Pack Towel. Synthetic shamy cloths for cleaning the streaks off your
car after washing make good pack towels. You only need a piece about the
size of a washcloth.
Flashlight. Chances are you have some sort of light device. I keep one
in the glove box of my car.
Cord. You need something for bear bagging and a tarp, and you may
already have some out in that mess somewhere.
Tarp. You may also have one of these nylon tarps for a car or lawn
mower, or maybe even just some plastic sheet for some lawn project. You
could use this to make a shelter from if you have nothing else.
Sleeping pad. Maybe you have an exercise mat that you can use as a
sleeping pad.
Gutter nails. If you own a home, you may have some of these aluminum
nails used to hold your rain gutters on your house. They make excellent
tent stakes.
Duct Tape. Everyone has some duct tape. Take some and wrap it around
your hiking sticks or a plastic bottle (see the Dirt Bagging Section) to
carry it.
Denatured Alcohol. Some folks have this solvent in their garage for
doing furniture re-finishing. It can be a stove fuel for the right kind
of stove.
Old camping gear. You may already have some of the things listed above
like an old boy scout cook kit (all you need is the pot), an old tent,
and maybe even an old sleeping bag.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Pennsylvania
Rose
For kids (I have five): Hand down everything to the smaller
ones. Kids don't need boots - tennis shoes are fine. But, if you
do get boots for the big kids (my oldest two twist their ankles
all the time when they carry loaded backpacks), they can be
handed down, too. Or make friends with other camping and hiking
families and set up clothes/gear trades. I traded an extra stove
for my 2nd baby carrier (we had two babies, but one carrier).
Kids can also use your old clothes - ones you've "grown out" of
or shrank in the wash (I've done this to several wool sweaters
and socks, and some long underwear). Buy long underwear big so
they can use it for a couple of years. Christmas time is a good
opportunity, too. I mentioned to an aunt years ago that the kids
love fleece. Every Christmas she sends each of them Old Navy
fleece sweaters and pants; usually one size too big, so everyone
is set for at least a year. The little kids now have a closet
full of warm stuff.
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Yard
Hiking stick. If you have some saplings, you can cut one or two to your
preference.
Now that you have cleaned out you house, you have a semi-usable packing
system. I know that you may have assembled some stuff and are looking at
it thinking it is too heavy or too bulky to use, which is OK, you are at
least on the path to getting your kit straight, you are not done yet.
Step 2
- The next thing we are going to look at is dirt bagging it. Some of
what you may have already done is dirt bagging, but now we will get in
deep. Things you already have done, like getting that clear plastic
sheet to use as a tarp or gutter nails to use for tent stakes are dirt
bagging, we just need to refine it. Here are some more ideas of what you
can dirt bag:
Rain Gear. You can make rain gear out of plastic trash bags. Just cut a
head and arm holes.
Stoves. There are a plethora of stove designs on the net that use soda
cans for alcohol stoves, coffee cans for wood stoves, or simple wire
stove stands to use heat tabs over. Here are some good links for stove
plans:
http://zenstoves.net/
http://wings.interfree.it/html/main.html
http://hikinghq.net/makeit.html
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html
http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=2
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hog
On Ice
windscreen material - if short windscreen material use the side
walls of 12 ounce soda or beer cans - z fold two together and
crimp at the fold - if need taller windscreen do the same thing
using "tall boy" 24 ounce beer cans - material is easily found
along side roads for free.
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Bottles. You can use old soda bottles for lightweight and rugged fuel
bottles, water bottles, olive oil carriers, etc. You can store duct tape
by wrapping it around the bottles. One recommendation though is to
segregate the contents in different shaped or sized bottles so you don’t
drink stove fuel or pour olive oil into your stove. Gatorade bottles
make great drink bottles since their bigger mouths are easier to fill.
You can even take some cord and one of those key-chain sized carabineers
to make it a clip on water bottle - instant Dirt Bag Nalgen bottle!
Pots. Instead of using the pot from the kitchen there are other ways to
make a pot out of something else. One idea is a grease saver pot http://zenstoves.net/Pots.htm .
Another good idea is to use a sturdy aluminum can like a Heineken beer
can as a pot http://zenstoves.net/CanPots.htm or
even an old coffee can as a pot.
Coffee cup/Bowl. If you want to get lighter for your coffee cup and also
have a multi use item that can be a bowl, re-hydration chamber, etc,
then get an old drink mix containerhttp://hikinghq.net/gear/lemonade_bowl.html .
Pot Cozy. This little bit of gear is used to keep food warm longer while
you have it in the pot and can even save you some simmer time (and
fuel). You can use a warm hat like a watch cap or fleece, or you can
make your own http://zenstoves.net/PotAccessories.htm#BuildaPotCozy .
Ditty Bag. Need a light bag to keep your cook kit or something in? Make
a sack from an old mesh bag http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=12&cid=10 .
You can even use this bag as a scrubby for cleaning pots or your body.
Guidebook. Don’t want to pay for one? Don’t like the lay out of the ones
that are available? Well you can go without, or you can check out this
new site and print your own:http://www.hikerbox.net/
The philosophy of dirt bagging can go quite for quite a few areas. The
idea is to think outside of the box. Think of the need and what can do
it without thinking of what is actually made for the task – like using a
soap dish for a waterproof camera case instead of buying a specialized
case or plastic lawn spikes for 0.1 ounce plastic stakes.
Step 3
– make your own gear. You can make some good stuff with some effort and
expense, or you can make some simple stuff for almost nothing. It just
depends on how much effort you want to put into any one project. Here
are some links for some good gear idea:
Backpacks:
http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=8 –
A good pack idea and also a store to sell the material to build it.
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html -
About seven different ideas for packs.
http://hikinghq.net/gear/rock_ruck.html -
cheap ruck idea from yours truly.
Shelters:
http://hikinghq.net/gear/tarp.html -
not really how to make a shelter, but how to use a tarp.
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html -
ten different shelter ideas.
http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=3 –
A good homemade version of the Henry Shires tarp-tent and even a kit
with the materials to make your own.
Hammocks:
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/PRODUCTLINK2.htm -
want to make your own camping hammock, here is the man with the plans
and kits
Sleeping bags and quilts:
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html -
ten different designs to choose from.
http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=5 –
Quilts and under quilts for hammocks. They even have a kit to make the
down quilt.
Clothing:
http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=4 –
just the plans for a couple of items.
http://www.thru-hiker.com/materialsS...2&txtCatName=2 –
kits including plans and materials.
Miscellaneous other stuff – other “fiddly bits” to round out your
backpack. There are lots of good ideas out there.
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html
http://www.thru-hiker.com/workshop.asp?subcat=12
http://hikinghq.net/gear/rock_bag.html
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=65
http://www.backpacking.net/km2.html
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Krewzer
Rabbit's Dirt Bag Gaiters:
Take the lower 6 or so inches off the pant legs of old sweats
and use for low gaiters. Just pull them over the top of your
boots, then fold back down to cover. Not pretty, but cheap cheap
and keeps rocks out of your dirt bag boots.
Outdoor Research Low Gaiters from Campmor: $19.99
Handcrafted Imported Indonesian Sweat pants from Good Will:
$Priceless
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Like I said, some of this stuff is cheap, some isn’t so cheap. While
one backpack idea takes about an hour to make and costs about $15,
another may cost you as much as buying a new one yourself. You must
decide how much time and effort you are willing to spend making gear.
Making gear does give you an intimate knowledge of how well it is put
together and what it can put up with, and how to repair it in the field
if it breaks. It also gives you a satisfaction that simply buying a new
widget at the outfitters cannot.
Step 4
– go shopping. I listed this as 4th, but it really happens with step #3
if you are on your game. You may not want to take your old wool blanket,
and decide to make your own down quilt; but while shopping around you
find a great deal on last year’s +750 down bag for less than $100 (I
have seen it happen) and decide that is a mo’ better idea than sewing.
On the other hand you may want to buy a Henry Shires Tarp Tent until you
find yourself on a waiting list because they are on back order, so you
jump into a kit and build it yourself.
OK, so the first thing is where to go shopping. You don’t go to Eddie
Bauer if you are trying to save money, but there are some good places
out there that can meet your needs. Starting close to home…
Yard sales are a great place to look. Sometimes there are families that
get motivated to go backpacking and do the whole outfitting thing only
to find out that backpacking is hard work. They then go and buy the
famiyl a new RV and need to unload all that useless backpacking stuff.
Especially good places could be the ritzier neighborhoods where families
have more disposable income for the good stuff. You could clean up by
shopping around.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Just
Jeff
Yard sales - find the ritzy neighborhoods in your area. More
disposable income means you're more likely to find deals on good
gear. Same with Goodwills. I found a ~$100 Columbia jacket for
$10 at the Goodwill near Carmel, CA. If you're looking to outfit
for an entire trip, it might be worth a 2 hour drive to save
money like that on a few items!
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Mags
If you live in a college town, check out the dorm and housing
areas at the end of semesters. You will often see large amounts
of clothing by the curb. Often times it is fleece and other
outdoor goodies, too.
CRAIG'S LIST - Esp. if you live in an outdoor area, you will
often outdoor gear and clothing for cheap or even free. http://craigslist.org/ |
Construction sites. You can find scrap stuff that you can use as a
part of your kit. Things like leftover gutter nails for tent pegs, Tyvek
for ground sheets, insulation for some models of stoves, aluminum roof
flashing for windscreens, etc.
Army surplus stores. There are some items like military issue
polypropylene long underwear, military fleece jackets and hats, field
jacket liners and field pants liners, sleeping mats, etc. that are just
as good as the stuff costing a lot more at REI. Shop around and see what
is available.
Goodwill and the Salvation Army. These sorts of second hand stores can
be full of secret treasure in the clothing isles or around some of the
miscellaneous item stacks. I have seen perfectly good Kelty backpacks
(older versions) going for $10 at one of these stores. Keep your eyes
open for bargains. A backpack that was popular back in 1980 probably
still a good pack for hiking today even though it isn’t being sold new
anymore. It would work fine for someone equipping on a budget. Again,
look for these stores in upper income areas where the people have more
disposable income for the good stuff.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Skidster
The most consistent item that can be found in thrift stores
regardless of season is fleece. Perfectly good synthetic fleece
in all sizes for $1 to $5. Jackets, pants, hats, gloves, neck
gaiters, you name it.
Years ago I bought 2 North Face fleece jackets 'on sale' at an
outfitter for $55.00 each. At the time I thought it was a great
deal. Never again.
Some other items I have found at thrift stores:
-aluminum pots, grease pots, and cups
-windscreen and stove materials
-Mtn. Hardwear shorts that fit my son perfectly, $2.50
-REI shorts that fit my son perfectly, $2.50
-Numerous light windbreakers, including:
-a North Face wind jacket for my wife, $5.00
-Go-Lite rain jacket for my wife, $5.00
-Red Ledge rain jacket for my wife, $3.00
-a synthetic baby comforter, $2.00, that I use over my sleeping
bag for really cold trips. Weighs 10 oz.
-an Eddie Bauer rain coat that I used at TD's this year, $5.00
-A Sierra cup, 25 cents
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Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, and other stores. These places often have
the odd gear items you need like a compass, water treatment, pocket
knife, small flashlights, etc. at reasonable prices. You can also find
things by looking around like the parts needed to make my rucksack or
the grease saver pot which can be modified to meet your backpacking
needs even though it was not originally designed for that purpose. Keep
your eyes and your mind open. Good things to look out for are low prices
on wicking shirts and clothing - even fleece. They also have fabric
sections at some of these stores that sell material at $1 a yard which
is great for stuff sacks and some prototyping of new equipment ideas.
You can even find serviceable light rain gear (you may want to cut out
the liner) at a low price.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Just
Jeff
Walmart - don't forget to mention the $1/yd material for MYOG!
(Make Your Own Gear) This is a godsend for prototypes, and when
you DO make that big find of some silnylon or DWR, you save like
$5-10/yd over buying the materials online.
- Walmart and Target also have the "fancy" synthetic sports
shirts for about $5...I think that's definitely worth pointing
out here. And the wp/b raingear (Stearns brand), but it's a bit
heavy - you might want to mention buying something like that and
trimming out the lining and extra features to save weight,
instead of buying the $50-100 versions from an outfitters.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Mags
About the XYZ-Marts:
- during hunting season, you can get the generic polypro long
underwear that is often lighter and warmer than the name brand
stuff. Just AFTER hunting season, you will often find the
already inexpensive polypro long underwear on clearance.
Likewise, you will find warm hats, gloves/mittens and fleece on
clearance just after hunting season as well. Some of it might be
blaze orange... but hey, it is cheap!
"Big-Box sporting good stores" (i.e. Galyans, Dick's, Sports
Authority, etc .):
After ski season - hats, gloves, etc. will often be on clearence
Sleeping Pad - check out the generic blue foam pad. Seen them at
military surplus stores, XYZ Marts and big box stores. Only $8.
Cut down to 3/4 length was less than six ounces! Probably
lighter than an exercise mat, too. (Not sure how many people
have an exercise mat...)
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Local outfitters. You may or may not have one, but if you do, keep an
eye on them. Gear is like fashion, there is last year's gear and there
is this year's gear. Sometimes you can pick up last year's gear (which
is just as good) at reduced rates, especially off season. It isn’t
unusual in my local outfitters to find last year’s winter clothing at
40% off during this summer’s sale.
On-line stores. There are some on-line retailers that specialize in
getting you low prices. Here are some I use regularly:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ -
this place makes a living selling bargain equipment. Watch clothing,
often it is only in the irregular sizes.
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...0226&langId=-1 not
always the cheapest, but they usually have good prices and close out
sales.
http://www.rei.com/outlet/index.html -
REI’s clearance sale site. REI even has "Member Sales" which you can
participate in if you are an REI member. It costs $15 a year and can
save you a lot of money if you watch for the good deals.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by just
jeff
I'd also add in the monthly REI member sales. Maybe on the line
between dirt bagging and going commercial, but I got an REI
Travel Sack for ~$20 with a "broken zipper" that took me all of
3 seconds and a pair of pliers to repair, a $200 down jacket for
$50, a $200 wp/b bivy for $80, etc. Well worth the $15
membership fee.
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Web Board “For Sale” items. Sometimes you can get a great deal on web
board that feature gear for sale (typically used gear) such as
WhiteBlaze’s Buy/Sell used gear forum:
http://www.backpacking.net/forums/po...=buygearlurker
http://www.ebay.com
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=69
The Challenge: Putting it all together.
After you put all that together, you can have a good working kit for
backpacking the Appalachian Trail. Some folks have done a little
research on this subject and posted their cheap packing list ideas on
the thread “The $300 Challenge” where the idea is to make a packing list
that costs less than $300 and has a base weight under 15 pounds (6.8 KG)http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...4300+challenge this
would be a good place to research before starting just to see how other
people have come up with solutions to the issue of going cheap. If you
are brave enough to go through the process, maybe you can have an entry
on the thread too.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Spock
I have a dandy cheapo gear spreadsheet that a user can modify
for his own purposes and needs... BTW, it comes to under $140.
But as with all cheapo lists, one's shopping ability and
opportunity can play a big part. Finding 'deals' is not assumed
in the sample sheet. Attached is a zip file containing an Excell
spreadsheet for cheapo gear afficianadoes. Just plug in your
cheapo options and give them a value of 0 or 1. "1" puts them in
the cost and weight totals. "0" takes them out but leaves them
in the list in case. You can add lines, but be sure to copy the
formulas from an adjacent line to make sure everything adds up.
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Attached Files Cheapo.zip (14.8
KB, 0 views)
Good luck!
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